Bio-Hazard
by StormFireGirl
Summary: A.J. Ferris is a mutant. After she was chased by a league of M.R.D., she bumped into Nightcrawler. Frightened, she accidentaly burned him, causing Nightcrawler to almost die. Later, she calms down and comes with the X-men to the Xavier Institute. There, she tries to start over. But she's still afraid of one thing; Her powers. Can Kurt help her gain control over her dangerous gifts?
1. Chapter 1

I pedaled into the driveway of my dad's house and parked my bike. I could already hear the sound of my dad's barbeque that he was having for some business associates. And since it was my turn to sleep at dad's house, I decided to come for the barbeque. I mean, I love a good barbeque in the summer! I yanked off my helmet as dad came walking out from the backyard.

"Hello Sparky!" He said, using my nickname.

I gave him a smug look. "Hi Bald-Eagle."

Dad patted the top of his bushy, brown hair. "Hey! I'm not bald yet, young lady!"

We laughed. My dad was the greatest. He was confident, cool, and worked at the North Philly Zoo, and he always let me name some of the new baby animals (which I loved to do).

"How's Zigzag?" I asked.

"She's doing good. That new baby zebra is due next week."

I smiled. "Awesome!"

Then I felt a tingly feeling run through my hands. I rubbed them together.

"You okay there, kiddo?" Dad asked me.

I smiled again. "Yah, I'm all right." I began to rub my hands together. Now they felt itchy. What's going on with me? I wondered.

Just then, a blond woman richly dressed came from the backyard. "Oh Curtis!" She sang sweetly. "Honey, are you ready for..." She stopped when she saw me. "Oh... who's this?"

"Oh! Uh, this is my daughter, Amanda-Jacklyn. And this is Rose."

Rose smiled, flashing a glow-in-the-dark row of teeth. "Nice to meet you Amanda."

"Call me A.J. Rose." I said bluntly. "Uh... dad? Can I see you for a sec?" I narrowed my eyes. "Inside."

My dad nodded. "Sure honey. Rose, we'll be right back."

We went inside my dad's house. 2 levels, not fancy, not poor, just right.

I turned around and crossed my arms, glaring up at dad. "Okay, first thing's first. Who's Rose, how did you to meet and how long have you two been going out with me and mom not knowing?" I asked.

My dad thinned his lips. "Sparky, listen... I..." He took a deep breath. "Rose is the daughter of a business partner with the zoo. and I met last Sunday, while you and Tasha were out of town, but, listen, I know you might feel upset..."

"Dad, upset doesn't scratch the surface." I told him, rubbing my hands together. Darn they were itchy!

"I-I know. It was hard when your mom and I spilt up."

"AND harder when the divorce agreement was signed..." I said, frowning.

Dad placed his hand on my shoulder. "A.J., listen. No matter what, I'm gonna love you and your mom. I always will. But we weren't meant to be together. It's just not our fate I guess."

I sighed, then hugged dad. "I know... and no matter what, I'll always love you too." I let go, and then gritted my teeth. Now my hands were sore and itchy.

"Hey kiddo, think you can quickly grab some plates? I was barbecuing so..." Dad asked, walking out the door.

"On it!" I ran over to the sink and pulled open a drawer. Inside were the plates. I stopped for a minute to scratch the palms of my hands.

Afterwards I quickly grabbed a few and dashed outside. Rounding a corner I saw several men and women talking and laughing. One of them was the organizer for North Philly's F.O.H. community. He watched with interest as Mr. Ferris' daughter brought out a stack of plates. A.J. noticed that one man was watching her carefully, but was probably making sure I didn't drop the plates. Then, I felt something hot and sticky ooze through my hands. I heard a sizzling sound and looked down. The plates! They were disintegrating! I quickly dropped them. What remain on them crashed on the cement.

My dad, who was barbequing stopped, turned around and said "Kiddo, what...?"

"The plates! THE PLATES ARE MELTING!" I screeched.

I quickly looked at my hands and gasped. A greenish-brown goo was oozing out, hissing as it made contact with air. I screamed and waved my hands around. Big mistake. More stuff splattered in different directions. Some landed on the cement and melted through, creating little holes. Some landed on the grass, and it caught on fire. I stopped, mortified. Dad quickly grabbed a garden hose and sprayed water on the blaze, extinguishing it. Rose was shrieking into her cellphone with 9-1-1. My dad just stared at me. I couldn't believe what'd just happened. The stuff still oozed out, dripping and melting the concrete all around me.

I trembled. "D-dad... I think... I'm a mutant."

He nodded slowly. "I think you are."

Then, I noticed the man standing up. "She's a mutie! Call the M.R.D.!" "What? N-no!" I cried, backing up. The man's protruding finger stretched out right at me. "Mutie! Mutie!" He cried. I was scared. I backed away, turned and ran for my life.

Meanwhile, in Bayville, New York, Professor Charles Xavier concentrated on Cerebro, scanning the area for new mutant signals. They seemed to pop up everywhere, becoming more and more common with each passing day. Suddenly, a new signal came alive. It seemed to burn in the Professor's mind. He was so intrigued... he turned to it and pressed some keys on Cerebro.

It blipped and then finally said in a animatronic voice;

"Mutant Gene confirmed.

Identity confirmed.

Name: Amanda-Jacklyn Ferris.

Age: 12

Power Level: 9

Status: Frightened

Abilities: ..."

The Professor was amazed as he read the screen about the new mutant's powers.

"Incredible..." he said to himself. "She's more powerful than I expected. And if I know Erik... he'll be after her too." He took off his helmet and turned around. _"Nightcrawler... Shadowcat... Jean… Scott… report to my office immediately."_ He said telepathically. He wheeled out of the room. "She's so young... and yet so powerful. If she joins, she'll be a handful." He sighed and smiled. "But is she so different than my other students that have come here?"

He entered his office and waited. Within a few moments, a girl about fifteen walked through the closed door and a bizarre looking mutant about her age appeared in a puff of smoke. The door then opened and a red-head girl and a boy wearing red sport-shades. "Ah, Kurt, Kitty, Scott, Jean. Just in time. Listen, I need you two to go on a mission for me." He turned and looked out the window. "A new mutant has emerged. Her name is Amanda-Jacklyn, and from what I can tell, she is extremely powerful. I need you to go to North Philadelphia immediately ."

"Sure thing Professor."

"Also, she's very frightened. She does not understand her abilities, and she is very dangerous. I want you to be extremely careful."

"You can count on us Professor! " Scott said, and the X-men left.

The Professor nodded his head. "She does need help indeed... and we'll be the ones to give it."


	2. Chapter 2

I twisted and turned through street after street, my chest heaving. _I can't stop, I can't stop, I can't stop,_ I repeated mentally over and over. The sound of sirens grew louder with each passing second. I dove into an alley, rushing down and turning left. I'd grown up around the winding back alleys and narrow streets, and could figure out my way around. The sound of my footsteps slamming on the concrete and cobblestone ground echoed through the slim brick walls all around me. I turned to my left and ran out onto the sidewalk. Slipping into a crowd of people, I marched as casually as could be. But when seeing the M.R.D. truck lumber a few blocks away, I began to run again. By this time it felt like there were little men inside my chest, scrubbing the inside with sandpaper, but it didn't matter. I had to run.

XXX

The X-men arrived in North Philadelphia within twenty minutes. "All right team!" Scott ordered as they marched down the ramp.

"The Professor said she'd be in this area! Shadowcat, you'll cover the south side. Jean, you cover the north end. I'll cover the east, and Kurt, you cover the west. That clear?" The X-men nodded. "Good. Let's go X-men!"

Nightcrawler teleported away, Shadowcat phased down the abandoned office building where the BlackBird was hiding. Jean took off into the skies, and Scott leaped down onto an old fire escape and rushed downwards. Once hitting the back alley, he took off.

XXX

I slowed my pace.

_I think I lost 'em! _I thought, then froze. _Great! Now I don't know where I am! _I looked upwards. The sun was beginning to set. _It's getting late… North Philly isn't exactly well known for its hospitality to little lost girls… more like it chews 'em up and spits 'em out! _I shuddered. I had to find my way out. I was starting to get scared. _Calm down A.J… it won't do you any good to get scared! Just… uhm… just sing! _I brightened up. _Yeah! Sing! You can do that! _

So I opened my mouth and sang a random song that came into my mind. It was by Rihanna. Singing was what I used to cope with things, and I had a pretty good voice and knew plenty of songs. So I just sang.

"_Yellow diamonds in the light, _

_And we're standing side-by-side, _

_As your shadow crosses mine, _

_What it takes to come alive! _

_It's the way I'm feeling, I just can't deny! _

_But I gotta let it go! _

_We found love in a hopeless place, _

_We found love in a hopeless place! _

_We found love in a hopeless place, _

_We found love in a hopeless place!" _

XXX

Kurt prowled the tops of several buildings, looking over each street, each alleyway that the new mutant could be. The stars were beginning to come out as he checked an older section of town. He repeated the description that the Professor had given Jean as they left.

_She's a twelve-year-old girl… brown hair, crystal blue eyes, very skinny… she's wearing a bright pink t-shirt and shorts…. That's how you'll identify her… _

_Okay Kurt… now look for her. She could be anywhere! _

Then he heard something, like somebody singing. Peering over the edge, he saw far below a little girl singing loudly and clearly into the dusk;

"_Shine a light through an open door, _

_Love and life I will divide, _

_Turn away, 'cause I need you more, _

_Feel the heartbeat in my mind, _

_It's the way I'm feeling, I just can't deny, _

_But I gotta let it go-ooh!" _

Kurt carefully teleported down, making sure not to startle her. He watched from a distance. It was her. He turned on his image-inducer, creating a hologram-image of himself as a human. He waited, listening to her sing the rest of the song

"_We found love in a hopeless place! _

_We found love in a hopeless place! _

_We found love in a hopeless place! _

_We found love in a hopeless place!" _

"Guten Tag, Fräulein!" He greeted casually, teleporting right in front of her. She yelped and was about to run when he shouted "Vait! I know you're scared, but you can trust me!"

She froze, and turned around slowly. "Who are you? How can you do that?" She asked quietly, tense.

"My name is Kurt Vagner. I vas once like you, frightened, lost, unsure of vhat I vas, vhat I vas supposed to be… but I can help you!"

"H-how? How can you help me?" She asked timidly.

He smiled, trying to act as friendly as possible. "Come vith me; I'll take you to your parents. I'll explain everything about us…" He reached out his hand to her.

She reached out and wrapped her fingers around his wrist. Kurt smiled. But then… a sizzling sound was heard, and his watch, which she'd been touching began to spark and fizz. He yanked his hand away as his holowatch shut down, revealing his furry, blue self. The girl's eyes widened, and she screamed in terror. Without thinking, she pushed him away. Kurt cried out in pain, physically and mentally as he felt acids and all kinds of deadly fluids enter his system. He collapsed, writhing in pain.

XXX

I gasped, seeing Kurt Vagner transform into a blue furry thing. I was already tense, so I screamed and pushed him away. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground. I gasped. Two sizzling handprints appeared on his chest, and he was moving like he was having a seizure. I had hurt him… this is what my power was. I hurt people. Terrified, I just ran away again.

XXX

Jean Gray looked through an empty street, then suddenly clenched her head in pain as she heard Kurt's mental scream of pain.

'_Kurt!' _She cried mentally. _'Kurt what's happening? Where are you?' _

'_So much… so much pain… she touched me… she burned me… she's running in your direction…. Help her, before she hurts somebody else!' _

There was nothing else. Jean quickly sent a telepathic message to Scott. _'Scott, Kurt ran into the mutant… she's frightened…she hurt him… get the medical kit and go to his location…' _With her message she also added his location.

'_What about you?' _Scott responded.

'_I can handle her… I will calm her down…' _ She floated to the ground. Sure enough, within a few minutes, a figure appeared in the deserted street, gasping for breath and sobbing at the same time. She got a brief mental reading. "A.J.! A.J. please, wait!" She called out. It worked. A few meters away, she froze. "A.J. I mean you no harm. I want to help you…"

"L-like that freaky thingy?" She asked.

"Don't' worry. Kurt meant no harm. His appearance startles people…"

A.J. looked afraid. "Are you going to hand me over to the M.R.D.?"

Jean smiled kindly. "No… no I'm not! I want to help you. You have an incredible gift A.J.. We want to help you master it."

A.J. gulped. "I… don't' know… do you have powers?" Jean smiled. She looked over at a discarded soda can. Concentrating, she lifted it up and crushed it. A.J. beamed excitedly. "That is so cool!"

"You're powers are cool too A.J…."

A.J. froze stiff. "No… I hurt people…. I hurt him…."

"Kurt?"

"Y-yes!"

"Don't worry. He'll be fine. But A.J., I want you to come with me to the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children. I mastered my powers there, and you can too. It's a safe place for kids like me and you. What do you say?"

A.J. looked at her feet nervously. Then, after a long pause, she nodded. "If… I can learn not to hurt people… then I'll go!"

Jean smiled. "Don't worry A.J.. You'll be fine! I promise!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Arrival

Scott carried the First Aid kit, racing to where Kurt was. He found the blue mutant laying on the ground. His breathing was slowing down, and he groaned quietly.

"All right Kurt… stay with me bud! I'll get you out of this!" He began to siphon the fluids out of his system. Then he quickly moved Kurt to the BlackBird, which he'd parked not too far from where they were. "Good thing… I landed it… just on… that rooftop!" He said through clenched teeth. Finally, he got Kurt into the jet and sped off. _'Jean… I have Kurt… I'm moving him to the Institute… do you need assistance?'_

'_No… A.J. has calmed down… I'm taking her back to her parents… but I will need a ride back…' _

'_I'll be there soon Jean!...' _Scott broke the link.

XXX

Jean, the red-head that found me, took me home a little later. My mom answered the door. "A.J.!" She cried happily, rushing over to hug me.

"Uhm… hi mom!" I said.

"Amanda-Jacklyn Ferris, don't you ever, ever run away again no matter what, you understand me young lady?!" She gasped, furrowing her brow.

"Yes mom…" I sighed. "Mom, this is Jean. Jean Gray. She's like me… in a way…" I explained.

"Like you?"

"Yeah… see, I'm a mutant… this person who has powers 'n stuff…."

"What?"

"Err, she can explain it better mom!" I gestured to her.

"Come into the living room…" Mom said, looking at Jean from head-to-toe.

She always does that with new people she meets. She can determine what somebody's like through 'body-language' and stuff. I was greeted with the same enthusiasm by dad, but he didn't give me the whole 'your-grounded-for-life-and-Tuesday-after-that' kind of lecture that kids get when they run away. He knew I only ran because I was scared of the M.R.D. and understood that they are no joke. I've heard that mutants go in the prisons… and they never-ever come back out. Ever! And of course Rose was there… she only came because dad was worried. And mom, like me, didn't like her much. I guess it's old love dying hard or whatever.

So anyways Jean sat down and explained to us what mutants were (we all knew of course) and about the Institute that she goes to. "Your daughter has an extraordinary gift… the Professor hasn't seen a person like her yet!"

"Seen? Has he been spying on A.J.?" Mom asked worriedly.

Jean laughed. "No… the Professor has a special machine called Cerebro, which allows him to find new mutants. It's how we located her." Jean explained.

"Ah… I see. I guess." Mom said, sitting back down.

"So what, how am I doing my powers?" I asked. "What are they?"

"Your body creates a special combination of acids, radioactive waste, toxins, strong chemicals, and liquid uranium."

My eyes, along with mom's, dad's, and Rose's nearly bugged out of our sockets.

"You mean… I'm some kind of walking-talking Bio-Hazard?!" I asked, my voice reduced to a high-pitched squeal from the shock.

"Well, in a way, yes." Jean answered. I groaned. "Great… of all the powers I get stuck with, I get stuck with the stuff everybody's afraid of!"

Jean laughed. "And maybe some of the most powerful ever!" She cleared her throat. "The reason why I'm here, Mr. and Mrs. Ferris, is that the Professor, who started the Institute, wants A.J. to come with me to the school. She'll be safe there, she can go to a public school, have support, learn how to control her abilities, everything she'll ever need!"

"Will she be able to visit us?" Mom asked.

"Yes, the students can come for visits, however, in case of an…. emergency, they are required to come back."

"Holiday visits?"

"Yes, the same applies!"

"What do you think mom?" I asked mom, pretty sure of her answer.

"Well… you could use a smidgen of help, but it's up to you baby!"

I bit my lip, thinking. I could either stay here, enjoy life with my mom, dad, and my friends, or pack up and go to an unknown school in New York far from my comfort zone, with a whole bunch of strange kids. On one hand, my life here was pretty nice, aside from my parent's divorce, Marcy Knoxwell (the school's most prettiest and popular girl, not to mention the most whiniest, snobbiest, snootiest, and mean one in history), and dad's new girlfriend Rose. On the other hand, the sound of adventure, excitement and the unknown did sound pretty good. So I made up my mind, at last.

"Where do I sign up?"

XXX

Mom and dad finished driving me from our neighborhood of Fishtown in North Philadelphia to Bayville, Westchester County, New York. I was wearing a pair of gloves that Jean gave me from the Professor. It was designed to keep my bio-toxins in and everybody else safe. They looked silver and mesh, and clung to my skin tightly, like I was wearing a pair of latex gloves. They came up to my wrists, and tied at the ends, tight enough so nothing could leak out. The trip over dad got us lost once, mom made him pull over and ask directions twice, and the pair bickered and argued the whole time. Thank goodness for loud music, a good book and earbuds, otherwise I would have ended up miserable by the time we got down to the edge of the street. So five hours later, we arrived.

"Honey, are you SURE we're in the right place? It's an estate!" Mom continuously asked dad.

"Tasha listen to yourself! He gave me these directions! Now, look, there are kids in there! This has to be the place!"

"But what if we intruded on another man's property, when we missed it an hour or two ago?"

I looked and saw the name-plate right beside my door on the outside wall. It read 'Xavier Institute For Gifted Children'. Yep. This had to be the place. "Hey Mom! Dad!" I tried to tell them. But still…

"For the last time! I am sure we're in the right place!"

"Dad…!"

"As sure as you were the _last _time?!"

"Mom…!"

"So I made one little mistake! You don't have to bother me about it!"

"Dad!"

"Well, you'll keep making it unless I remind you!"

"Mom!"

"Tasha!"

"Curtis!"

"MOM! DAD!"

"WHAT?!" Both yelled.

"Uhm… we're here!" I pointed to the name-plate.

"Oh…" Both said, eyeing each other wearily.

"Well Sparky… I guess you can get out now!" Dad finally said.

I nodded. "Okee-dokee!" I sprang out of the car, rushing around to the back, grabbing my suitcases. "Come on! We can't wait all day!" I shouted, as they got out of the car.

Dad stretched and mom cracked. "Give us a minute… us old people don't have your energy!" He pleaded, his face scrunched up.

I laughed. "Fine! I guess I'll be like that when I get old!"

"Don't count on it! You've got enough spark flowing through your veins to light North Philly during a blackout!"

I laughed at Dad's comment. Soon, hauling suitcases and such, we marched onto the Institute grounds. I was in shock. It was beautiful! Trees scattered here-and-there, perfectly cut lawn, a forest bordering the back, a marble fountain squirting water into a pool. Mom was right; this place was an estate! There were kids several feet away playing baseball. All of them looked older than me, except for one; A boy with blue eyes and brown hair was playing left field, close to where I was. Ahead of my parents, I stopped to watch. The ball was thrown, and it shot up in the air with a loud 'CRACK' of fast-moving leather hitting solid wood. It was heading straight for me. Instantly I dropped my suitcases and started running.

"I GOT IT!" I screamed. Before I knew what was happening, I leaped into the air, caught it, and landed on my feet without a wobble. I guess I was that good! I rushed over to the boy, who stared at me like I had three heads. "Hi…" I finally said.

"Hi…" He said back. He was about my age or a year older. "Hey… You're the new kid! Aren't you?"

"Yeah…" I said.

"Cool! You're my age too!"

"Depends on your age!" I told him.

"I'm twelve, you?"

"Same!"

"Awesome!" We both said together, then laughed.

"I'm Jamie Madrox!" He introduced. "I'm A.J.! A.J. Ferris!"

"That short for anything?"

"Yeah, Amanda-Jacklyn, but nobody calls me by my real name!" I told him.

He grinned. "Like nobody calls me James or whatever."

"Hey Jamie!" A blond-haired boy yelled. "Are you coming or what?!"

"Coming!" He turned back to me. "Wanna play?"

"I'm not sure… I don't play baseball!"

"Hey Sparky!" My dad yelled. "Let's get a move-on, kiddo!"

"Coming!" I yelled back. "Sorry, maybe later!"

"That's okay! Welcome to the X-men by the way!"

"Thanks!" I said and turned and ran a couple feet before stopping. "Wait, 'X-men'? What are-" He wasn't there anymore. I shrugged my shoulders. "Probably some kind of club!" I guessed aloud, racing back to my parents.

"Made any new friends, Sparky?" Dad asked me when I returned.

"I dunno dad! Maybe!"

Mom grinned. "He's cute, isn't he?"

"Mo-om!" I moaned loudly.

She laughed. "I'm just teasing! Still…"

"Tasha!"

"What?!" Mom asked.

"That must be the Professor!" Dad quickly changed the subject, pointing to a gruff-looking man, watching the kids. "Excuse me!" He said approaching him. "Are you Professor Charles Xavier?"

The man looked at my dad the same way Jamie looked at me. "I ain't the guy yer look'n for, bub! Charles is-"

"Right here." I saw a bald man in a wheelchair approach us. "I am Professor Charles Xavier. You must be Mr. and Mrs. Ferris!"

Mom was about to say something when dad interjected. "Yes! Yes we are! Hello Professor!" He shook his hand.

The Professor turned his head to the man. "Thank you Logan." The man called Logan nodded and walked inside. Professor Charles Xavier turned to me next. "You must be A.J.. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too, Professor!" I shook his hand, grinning slightly.

"How are your gloves working?"

"Pretty good. So far, no damage!" I told him.

"Excellent. Mr. and Mrs. Ferris, if you wish to spend some time here and help A.J. get settled in…"

"Actually, we'd better get going!" Dad said, looking around. "Thank you for the offer, but I have a meeting tomorrow."

"Yes… and I have a client that I need to see as well."

"I guess…. This is goodbye!" I said sadly.

Dad hugged me. "Remember Sparky, we'll always be with you! Now be good and behave, okay?"

"Yes dad!" I said, hugging him back. I turned to mom.

"Now listen to your teachers, don't eat too many sweets, drink at least three glasses of water each day, respect your elders, do your best in your studies…"

"Yes mom."

"And visit us on the long weekends!"

"I'll try mom…"

"No, don't try! You will visit us! And the holidays too!"

"Mom…"

"I want you with us for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, heck Halloween!"

"Mom, we don't get days off for Halloween!"

"Well, I don't care! You come dressed up for Halloween!"

"Tasha…"

"WHAT?!" Mom screeched.

"We'd better be going…" Dad said, patting her shoulder.

Mom looked like she was about to cry. I felt likewise. Mom hugged me tightly. "Just…. Be good, okay baby?"

"Yes mom…" I whispered.

She let go of the embrace and kissed my forehead. She sniffled. "We'd… better be going! Call us tomorrow, or we'll come over to get you, you got that?!"

"Yes mom!" I shouted as dad and her walked down the driveway.

"Goodbye!" They cried.

"Bye!" I shouted, waving furiously. I was about to burst into tears, but I just held them back and said "Whew! I thought they'd NEVER leave!" I smiled to myself as I grabbed my stuff. I'd just arrived to my new life.


End file.
